While this week’s strong winds may have extinguished cigarettes, SOcial NORming was working to extinguish them in a more permanent manner.
Olin Quad was busy with SONOR’s Smoke-Out and H.E.A.T.’s (Help, Empower, and Teach) Beer Drive April 21 and 22.
This is the seventh year SONOR has put on this event, an extension of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smoke-Out program, which was developed to encourage smokers to quit.
“We’re out here asking students to pledge to be smoke-free for a day,” SONOR’s director of public relations Emily Barack said. “And once they pledge, they write their names on a ribbon, which is then tied to a long rope aligning the sidewalk of the quad.”
This year’s Smoke-Out extended beyond tobacco to include marijuana use, making it the first official event on campus to address marijuana usage and awareness.
“What we are trying to do is promote positive social norms, correct misperceptions and educate students about marijuana,” sophomore advertising major and SONOR’s director of recruitment Jennie Hackinson said. “For example, did you know 81.6 percent of Bradley students haven’t smoked marijuana in the past 30 days?”
This is the 18th year that H.E.A.T has hosted the Beer Drive to encourage designated driving. For the Beer Drive, the club created a small obstacle course out of safety cones and police tape and brought two golf carts to the quad.
“We’re mainly here today to promote having or being a designated driver,” H.E.A.T. coordinator Claire Gannon said. “First, we ask participants about their driving, then we put beer goggles on them, spin them around, and have them drive around our obstacle course. And once that’s done, we ask them some questions about their experience and about alcohol.”
Both SONOR and H.E.A.T. are supervised by the Wellness Program, which is within the Center for Student Support Services. According to Interim Director of Wellness Lyndsey Hawkins, the program strongly advocates for a nonjudgmental and informative approach toward tobacco, alcohol and marijuana usage, something that both events embody.
“The Wellness Office and its programs will never tell you not to do something or that you’re wrong for doing it,” Hawkins said. “We understand that students are adults and can make their own decisions; we’re just here to provide support and education.”
